The present invention relates to a reserving stock room for reserving bacteria or the like, or a culture apparatus for culturing the bacteria or the like, for example, relates to an apparatus or a reserving stock room called as an automatic culture system, a blood reserving stock room, a frozen blood plasma reserving stock room, a drug medicine reserving stock room and the like.
There has been a culture apparatus for culturing the bacteria or the like structured such that a lot of micro plates forming a culture vessel for the bacteria or the like are received in a stock room for simultaneously culturing a lot of bacteria or the like by a single apparatus, and the micro plates are moved within the stock room by a carrying means. In recent days, this type of culture apparatus is required from market.
One example of this type of culture apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-89559. Further, it is disclosed also in U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,428.
A description will be given of one example of the culture apparatus mentioned above with reference to FIG. 3.
In this example, a robot arm 7 transfers the culture vessel (the micro plate) to the carrying means within the culture apparatus from an external portion.
Storage shelves 2a, 2b and 2c for the culture vessels 5 are placed within the stock room of the culture apparatus 1. Further, the storage shelves 2a, 2b and 2c are arranged on a rotating table so as to form a circular arc. A plurality of culture vessels 5 are inserted to the respective shelves 2a, 2b and 2c in a vertical direction so as to be received therein.
A carrying mechanism (a carrying means) 4 inserts or takes out the culture vessel 5 to or from an optional height position of the storage shelves.
A carrying port 6 is provided in a back surface of the culture apparatus 1, and communicates an interior side of the stock room of the culture apparatus with an exterior side of the stock room. The carrying port 6 is provided with a shutter mechanism for opening and closing the carrying port 6, and is opened at a time of transferring the culture vessel 5 between the robot arm 7 corresponding to the external carrying mechanism and the carrying mechanism 4.
In order that the carrying mechanism 4 takes out the culture vessel received at the optional position of the storage shelves, first, the rotating table 3 is rotated, and the storage shelf in which the culture vessel is received is moved in front of the carrying mechanism 4.
Next, the carrying mechanism 4 is vertically moved to the height at which the culture vessel to be taken out is received.
Next, the carrying arm is extended and the carrying arm is inserted to a space below the culture vessel. Thereafter, the carrying mechanism 4 is slightly moved upward so as to lift up the culture vessel. Accordingly, the culture vessel floats up from the storage shelf.
Then, the carrying arm is retracted so as to completely take out and break away the culture vessel mounted on the carrying arm from the storage shelf.
Next, the carrying mechanism 4 is vertically moved to the height of the carrying port 6, and is horizontally rotated while keeping the height such as to face to the carrying port 6. Next, the shutter in the carrying port 6 is opened.
Further, the carrying arm is extended, and the culture vessel is taken out from the carrying port 6 to the external portion.
The robot arm 7 grips the culture vessel taken out to the external portion, and brings out to the external portion.
Thereafter, the carrying apparatus 4 retracts the carrying arm, turns in the horizontal direction so as to face to the storage shelf, and closes the shutter of the carrying port 6.
When bringing out one culture vessel to the external portion from the inner side of the stock room or receiving one culture vessel within the stock room from the external portion as mentioned above, all of the storage shelves 2a, 2b and 2c are rotated together with the table 3.
Since the other all culture vessels are simultaneously rotated together with the table 3 every time when the culture vessel is taken in and out, all the culture vessels received in the shelves 2a, 2b and 2c are vibrated, so that a stationary state of the culture vessel is almost lost. In the case of culturing periphytic cells, the cells breed normally by adhering the culture to a wall surface of the culture vessel.
However, the vibration of the culture vessel mentioned above generates a stress against bringing up the cells such as the bacteria or the like.
Further, since the culture is very frequently taken in and out, it is desired to make the carrying motion at a time of taking in and out the culture vessel higher.
However, taking the vibration of the culture vessel into consideration, it is impossible to make the rotation speed of the table 3 higher blindly.
The conventional culture apparatus with the carrying mechanism utilizes a rotary type storage shelf for the culture vessel. Accordingly, it is necessary to turn the whole of the shelf so as to move in front of the carrying means every time when one culture vessel is taken in and out. Therefore, the culture vessel frequently vibrates and there is a case that the cells can not be easily adhered to the vessel.
The present invention is provided with a carrying mechanism which automatically carries the culture vessel to the storage shelf, and the conventional culture apparatus with the carrying mechanism utilizes the rotary type storage shelf for the culture vessel. Accordingly, it is necessary to turn the whole of the shelf so as to move in front of the carrying means in order to take in and out one culture vessel. Therefore, the culture vessel frequently vibrates, and there is a case that the cells can not be normally adhered to the vessel.